=

Northern Star Reporter

NIU

I was at the Northern Star newsroom when I heard about the shootings. A bunch of us grabbed pens and our notebooks and ran to Cole Hall. My fellow reporters were staying outside, because they thought going into one of the building would mean they’d be put on lock down and miss the story. I went into the Holmes Student Center to cover the emotions of the students in there. I never expected what I actually saw. I didn’t understand the gravity of the situation until I walked inside the student center and saw one student covered in blood, a blank stare on his face, another suffering a gunshot wound. It’s an image I will never forget. That’s when I realized it was more serious, when I realized the gravity of the situation. I felt a sinking sensation.